1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to the fields of bath and kitchen utility accessories and, in particular, to a shower caddy unit comprising a bottle holder/drainer, a soap holder that eliminates soap slime collection and a mechanism for securely attaching the unit to an anchor such as a pipe or shower arm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Caddies are popular objects used to store and organize various accessories found and used in bathrooms, kitchens, craft rooms, garages or any other areas where a method of maintaining order among sundry small items is required. Caddies characteristically comprise compartments, slots, nooks, crannies and other defined spaces designed to accommodate items of a variety of shapes and sizes.
Some caddies are portable units that rest on a supporting surface such as a counter or shelf and can be moved for use in multiple areas. For additional convenience, such caddies are often mounted on swivel bases. Other caddies are designed to be hung in or near the place where the items in them are used, such as the shower caddy found suspended from the shower arm in many bathrooms.
Typically, caddies are constructed of a rigid, lightweight material such as plastic; consist of flat panels configured to form the various components; contain cut-out holes and slots to accommodate items; and may have holes in the bottom for drainage. Other caddies, especially those for bathrooms, are constructed of rigid, wire-like segments, covered with a protective material such as plastic to shield against the effects of moisture and shaped to form shelves, compartments and slots where the stored items are placed.
Caddies used in the bathroom are typically configured to hang on the shower arm by means of an extension or opening at the top whereby the unit is slipped onto the shower arm in a hanging position. This method of attachment is inherently unstable since it allows the unit to slide down the shower arm and, when bumped or knocked, to fall off the arm completely. Another method of hanging involves a hook formed as a half-circle having approximately the same diameter as the shower arm so that the hook will snap onto and mold itself around the shower arm. Since the hook grips the arm or pipe onto which it is hung, the attachment is slightly more secure than the first method described; however, the hook will easily unsnap when bumped or knocked, often breaking because of lack of elasticity and pliability. In addition, if the weight of the items placed on a caddy thus hung is not evenly distributed, the caddy will tend to hang in a lopsided position, often causing the items to fall off. Some caddies provide suction cups facing the shower wall to prevent the uneven distribution of the weight from causing the caddy to assume such lopsided position, but the cups rarely function well because of the grout grooves between tiles. The present invention alleviates the aforedescribed problems of slipping, sliding and lopsidedness by providing a hanging mechanism that can be adjusted to fit a shower arm to achieve a very secure attachment.
Shower caddies are generally constructed with one or more tiers or shelves onto which various bath accoutrements are placed. An item often placed on such shelves is bar soap even though caddies usually lack specialized compartments therefor. A solid panel shelf with drainage holes cut into it or a shelf constructed of wire segments both allow wet soaps placed on them to drain; but a bar of wet soap placed directly on a shelf is messy and is difficult to manipulate and control. Putting the soap in a dish or container before placing it on the shelf may alleviate messy shelf and soap control problems; but, in addition to requiring that additional container, a user must also contend with that notorious pool of soap slime that accumulates in the bottom of the soap dish. The present invention solves these problems by providing a defined area for a soap bar, allowing adequate drainage of the soap and eliminating the soap slime pool.
Shower caddies are convenient repositories for bottles containing shampoo, hair conditioner, bath gel and other related items of toiletry. When full, a bottle usually remains in its upright position unless jarred or hit. As the bottle approaches empty, however, it becomes lighter and less stable; if jarred, even slightly, it will fall to the floor of the tub or shower, which is hard enough to cause even the sturdiest plastic bottle to crack, spewing its contents down the drain. The problem is compounded because users typically turn near-empty bottles upside down to increase the ease of removing what remains and to ensure that the last drop is indeed dislodged. The dual challenge, of course, is keeping the bottle standing on its head and preventing it from falling to the floor of the tub or shower. The present invention solves these problems by providing means for a bottle to remain in a stable, inverted position that permits easy and convenient use of the bottle or allows the cap of the bottle to be removed, if desired, enabling all contents to flow from the bottle into the hand or into a separate open container.